Critical Thinking In College

The Bethel School District had suspended the respondent, Matthew N. Fraser for the span of three school days as well as the school decided to revoke his name from a roster of potential speaking at special ceremonies such as graduation. The respondent’s parent reciprocated action by bringing their child’s infraction of his first Amendment right. This includes his freedom of speech.

In his article, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” Charles Murray argues that too many people are going to college universities when they should be focusing on other lifestyle options. In his opinion, whether or not to attend college is a personal decision that should be thoroughly thought through. When weighed with the unrealistic prerequisites, the financial expenses, and the time needed to obtain a degree, many people will find that attending college will not be beneficial to them. Speaking of this Murray attests, “The question here is not whether the traditional four-year residential college is fun or valuable as a place to grow up, but when it makes sense as a place to learn how to make a living. The answer is: in a sensible world

In the article, Not Going to College is a Viable Option, the author, Lawrence B. Schlack, argues that college is not the only option for seniors after high school and there may be better options for them. The author supports his argument and persuades his audience effectively by using ethos, pathos, and logos, helping the reader open their eyes and understand why deferring college can be a good option.

‘College students are increasingly demanding protection from words and ideas they don’t like.’ Is stated in the article The Coddling of the American Mind. The authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt use logos, ethos, and pathos to discuss the issues and solutions for trigger warnings and macroaggressions on university campuses. The authors start the article off by giving examples and other pieces of literature written about trigger warnings on college campuses, these are examples of Logos. Logos is used throughout the document for example in the third paragraph the author observed the recent campus actions at Brandeis University. The actions presented stereotypical comments about Asian students such as “aren’t you supposed to be good at math,”

“The Coddling of the American Mind”, was quite an interesting article to read. Many thoughts were forming in my head after every sentence or paragraph in which I’ve read. In the article Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt explained an issue that many college students are becoming overly sensitive about many discomforting topics and why it is causing a great damage to protect words that are being used that may cause microaggressions amongst college students. With generations changing and with new ideas forming, many are being cautious within their act. Throughout the article, both authors shared behaviors that were observed on college campuses.

Our whole lives our parents told us that we need to go to college to be successful. They told us that college would insure us a great life, but for many, that isn’t the case. Many students go to college hoping to get a degree, but many drop out due to insufficient funds. While for some, college might be the right choice, that doesn’t mean that college is for all of us.

There is an ample amount of information that leads people to believe that college is a great choice. In Source F, it is shown that, “Adults who graduated from a four-year college believe that, on average, they are earning $20,000 more a year as a result of having gotten that degree. Adults who did not attend college believe that, on average they are earning $20,000 a year less as a result.” Also, provided in Source F, “...55% say it [college] was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career.” While these statistics are true, the negatives still outweigh the positives. Even though people may be earning more with a college degree, they still suffer the burden of paying off extraordinarily high debts. This means less money is being saved for themselves. Another negative is that people may not have chosen the correct major. In Source F, only, “55%,” of people believed that their major helped them. This concludes that a high percentage of people did not believe their major was useful. For these reasons, college is not as beneficial as it is played out to

It has taken many years for people in society to break out of the norms and expectations of how to grow up and live in the world. A huge factor in this “revolution”: attending college. Whether it is taking a gap year to discover the world and the waiting opportunities, or simply running with it all after high school to work, attending college isn’t considered a given anymore. Now not all cases are the same for every person, therefore they can only decide what is the best path for them after high school. Still, the benefits of a being a college graduate will never be diminished. Because in fact, that “gap year” could turn into two or even three years of sitting and deciding what to do in life. Or jumping right into working right after high school, leads to realizing there aren’t many jobs to provide and support oneself. Although many may continue to believe that attending college right after high school isn’t the right path for success, taking advantage of gaining a college education right away is essential for success in life because college broadens job and career opportunities and provides necessary experiences to thrive in the real world after school.

In my experience, what Martin Luther King Jr. calls “thinking intensively and critically” is very different from what my high school teachers called “critical thinking”, most especially by the way Dr. King links intelligence and learning to the development of character, that is, growth as a person. Too often in my past, teachers mentioned critical thinking only as a mental activity of seeing through stereotypes, evaluating both sides of issues and understanding and accepting differences. As worthwhile as these are, I have found that high level thinking without having a more enlightened character is simply inadequate. That was a recent, very positive experience with two very nice people of different faiths.

Former superintendent, Lawrence B. Shlack argues in his article, Not Going to College is a Viable Option, that too many students believe that going to college is the only option after high school in order to be successful. The main purpose of this article is to convince students to be less narrow-minded on the topic of post-high school decisions and effectively provides the reasoning behind his logic and provides alternatives. As a retired superintendent, Schlack proves that he has sufficient credibility and knowledge of high school students and what most of them are thinking. The use of pathos and ethos combined with his credibility appeals to the readers strongly by making the article relatable for most high schoolers. Knowledge and credibility on the topic along with emotional and logical appeals made Schlack’s article’s persuasion effective.

Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2015, September). The Coddling of the American Mind. Retrieved April 04, 2016, from http:/pqqwww.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/

Every year thousands of high school students will receive their diplomas and become graduates. For many of us this is a major moment in young adulthood. One of the first major decisions many of us will make following that day will be whether or not to attend college. All through school it is constantly pushed upon us that college is the best way to prepare for a successful future. However, everyone does not feel that way. In the following passages I will highlight an article that explains many reasons why college may not be for everyone.

Campuses are a place where students all deserve to feel safe. Trigger warnings are a way to do this. Greg Lukianoff feels that trigger warnings coddle students minds and prevent them from growing and learning. In the interview for The Atlantic Lukianoff talks about how lack of a trigger warning made a student feel normal again for the first time in years, however this is often not the case for people with disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder. This is an example of how some people feel their freedom of speech is being compromised Triggered reactions are not only highly unpleasant, but can overtake one’s consciousness by causing a flashback, or a number of other things. These attacks are not only terrifying, they disable the person from

Some topics that will be discussed in this paper will be how an individual can apply the top three critical thinking skills at work, school, and throughout everyday life. Likewise, the other items that will be clarified is the meaning of each of these critical thinking skills. The top three critical thinking skills are to analyze, synthesize, and to evaluate. These skills are a central facet of everyday life and to know how to properly use them will help in the long run. Each of these skills build off each other and it would be good to know what these skills mean in their entirety. The top three critical thinking skills will be explained and examples will be provided about how one can use these at work, school, and throughout life.

Tim van Gelder, in his answering the same question said Critical thinking is hard to do and requires a deliberate effort to engage at and even at that, it takes years of practicing and continuous dedication to get good at it. (Van Gelder,T. 2004). Therefore, we should not expect undergrads or graduates whose course focus are rather on grasping concepts, theories, exercises and many reviews of materials to in the midst of these, to engage in Critical thinking(CT).